3 cricket batsmen who became legends after becoming an opener

It is never an easy job to be a good cricketer at international level. Though it predominantly depends on a player's skill and hard work, it is also dependent on having suitable opportunities.

For a team's management, it is important to identify the desirable circumstances to introduce a player. If that is missing, his/her performance will suffer, as he/she has to play in a difficult position.

For an example, international cricket has seen many batsmen whose performance improved tremendously after a change in their batting order.

In this article, we talk about three batsmen who became the legends in ODI cricket after they were made the opener for their respective teams.

#1 Sachin Tendulkar

It was the beginning of an era.

Sachin Tendulkar and his records are as big as the game itself. He plundered huge runs irrespective of the format. His records in ODI cricket would require an actual superhuman to break them. As an opener, his records are absolutely unassailable, as the nearest challenger, among current players, Chris Gayle has already announced his retirement after the 2019 World Cup .

But interestingly enough, Sachin did not make his ODI debut as an opener. The little master made his ODI debut against Pakistan and scored a duck, batting at number five.

In 1994, when India toured New Zealand, the Indian captain Mohammad Azharuddin asked Sachin to open the innings due to regular opener Navjot Singh Sidhu being unfit. It proved to be a masterstroke as Sachin scored a scintillating 82 not out of just 49 balls. After that, except with odd occasions when he came to bat in the middle order, Sachin Tendulkar has opened the innings for India in ODI cricket and set the world on fire with his unprecedented records.

Before becoming the regular opener, Sachin Tendulkar could only manage 1,758 runs at 30.84 run rate in 69 matches. He scored only 13 half-centuries and no century previously.

#2. Tillakaratne Dilshan

As an opener, Dilshan is the fifth most century scorer in ODI cricket.

An underrated batsman, Tillakaratne Dilshan is one of the 14 batsmen in ODI cricket history to have scored over 10,000 runs. As an aggregate, Dilshan scored 10,290 runs at 39.27 in 330 ODIs, with 22 centuries and 47 half-centuries. But, the bulk of these numbers was recorded when he became an opener for Sri Lanka.

In 2008, during the tri-series, being played between Australia, India, and Sri Lanka, the Sri Lankan captain Mahela Jayawardene made Dilshan open the batting against India in a rain-curtailed match. Dilshan revelled in the opportunity by scoring 62 not out to hand his team a crucial win in the series. Dilshan was demoted again for some time before becoming the regular opener from the away series against Pakistan in 2008-09.

Dilshan had made his debut in 1999 against Zimbabwe, and scored 35 runs, batting at number six. Before opening for the first time at international level, Dilshan had mediocre statistics; an average of 29.47 in 133 matches with a sole century and 13 half-centuries. As an opener, Dilshan scored 7,367 runs at 46.04 in 179 matches, with the help of 21 centuries and 34 half-centuries.

#3. Rohit Sharma

This was the beginning of a phenomenon.

Probably the most famous example of this phenomenon is Rohit Sharma. Whenever he is put to bat, Rohit Sharma delivers massive scores, which has included three double-centuries.

Credit should be given to none other than Mahendra Singh Dhoni who identified the unique qualities of Rohit Sharma and made him an opener. Dhoni, who had already used Sharma as an opener on five occasions, was so confident in him that he thrust Sharma as an opener for the Champions Trophy in 2013. Dhoni's belief was vindicated Sharma has not looked back since .

Sharma made his ODI debut in 2007 against Ireland and scored eight runs in his first innings, batting at number seven. Before becoming a regular opener in 2013, he had played 88 ODI matches and averaged a modest 30.82 with two centuries and 13 half-centuries. Since the Champions Trophy however, he has scored 5,780 runs at a staggering 58.97 in 114 matches, with the help of 20 centuries and 26 half-centuries.